Percy Jackson's Gods
by kurosushi123
Summary: This is my first official fanfic. Mainly about some hypothetical stories of the Olympians' many romances. This is about Apollo.
1. Chapter 1: I Meet The Freaking Sun God

Huh. Never guessed I'd get caught in some not-so mushy romance with the sun god. Well, life's like that, I guess. So, anyway, I'll explain how it all started.

To begin with, my name is Katherine Gordon and I'm twenty-two years old. I was born and raised in New York but after high school, my mother passed away and my father sent me to work in a poetry club called _The_ _Lone_ _Island_ in Missouri. Probably because I reminded him too much of her. Anyhow, work was great. People drift from all around every night to release their pent-up emotions through their verses, to refine their reading and writing techniques, to critique other people's work to make them feel better, to sympathize with others' words, or just to simply have a drink and chat with buddies. I was the bar maid, serving the refreshments to the people who needed them. Sometimes they'd read to me for practice then ask for my opinion. It was an interesting job. Not too boring. Not too exciting. Just interesting. What made it so interesting were the strange folk that came by.

You see, I... well, _saw_ things. Things that normal people can't. I don't know what they are but all I know is that I can see them and everybody I tell thinks I'm a nutcase. Most of the time they were gruesome. Horns. Claws. Razor sharp teeth. The works. Sometimes, they were eerie. Those kinds looked almost normal but they gave off this kind of aura. A weird, ancient kind of aura that made chills run up and down my back whenever I saw them. Now there were the _shiny_ ones. These guys literally radiated power. Seriously. I've seen two or three of them so far: a runway model with a biker (yeah, _both_ of them) and a businessman. They didn't scare me- Okay, maybe the biker guy did. What? He had 'I'm gonna pound you to a pulp if you mess with me' written all over him-but they sure did intimidate me. I generally avoided looking at them but, luckily, they don't drop by for a beer every Tuesday night.

So it was the first day of autumn. A Thursday to be exact. I was chatting with Joanne, one of my co-workers, about the many useful ways to use super glue. As all afternoons were, it was lazy, with drifters coming in for a drink or a meal every now and then. It was the usual. So I wasn't really expecting anyone particularly interesting to open the door and come in at this time of day. Well I was wrong.

The chimes above the door tinkled as it opened, a man stood at the doorway. And this wasn't just _any_ man. He was the shiniest guy I'd ever seen in my life. It was almost like he was the sun itself. Never knew how right I was there. I had to squint to see him properly and even that didn't help. The guy was _hot_. Not literally hot-though I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case- but supermodel hot. I looked around at my co-workers and all of them were in awe at the surprise customer but none of them seemed to have the need to squint or cover their eyes. I had a feeling that they just saw the hot guy without any of the light. He walked in with a sort of easygoing kind of spring in his step and I knew he was just one of those handsome guys who think that just because they've got to-die-for good looks, they've pretty much got every female on the planet in the bag.

"I'd like some ginger ale and a burger please," he said with a wink directed at one of my co-workers, Sarah. She immediately stammered an "okay" and scrambled off to get the order in... well, order. He grinned toothily and I had to look away from the intense light. Seriously. I muttered something about going to the restroom. Nobody replied of course because they were all busy attending to the every need of the male superstar who had arrived in their midst. I immediately scurried off towards the restroom (which only allowed one person at a time, thank the gods) and washed my face.

I stared at the mirror, wondering whether I was human or not. Then wondering if _he_ was human or not. Most likely NOT. I wanted to ask him so bad what I was. What _he_ was. What those other things I saw were. I wanted to ask why I could even see stuff like that. Maybe he'd tell me what I needed to know. Or maybe he'd just tell me that I needed a strait jacket ASAP. Or maybe this could all be just some bizarre-o dream I'm having and I'm asleep in my mom's hospital room, waiting for her to wake up. I pinched myself.

"Ow," I said softly. Well, it wasn't a dream. That sucked. I asked myself, _Now what?_

I asked myself that but part of me already knew the answer: corner the shiny guy and interrogate him. Maybe even ask him to turn down the light a bit. This same part of me knew that he knew all the answers to my questions. He knew what I was and probably what I would be. He knew. He just had to. So I took a deep breath, forced a smile, and reluctantly exited the safe haven that was the comfort room (which isn't called that for nothing).

It wasn't hard looking for the guy, considering the fact that he glowed like the sun (again, had _no_ idea then how much I was right). I found him hanging out by the bar with some girls I'd seen and never seen before. They were probably attracted like bees to honey nowadays. The poor dears, I thought as they laughed at something he said. I wondered how they would react if I told them that he wasn't human. Probably say something like, _You're just jealous that _you_'re not dating him. Just get out of here, you freak._

Yeah. Something like that. I then felt sorry for myself, for ever being born with such a nutty brain. But still, I had to do it. As soon as I told myself that, I turned right back around and decided that I would look for the next opportunity. I wasn't scared! I was nervous... But I dare you not to be wracked with nerves before talking to a guy whose looks make your hormones go on overdrive and make you feel self-conscious about how you look in front of him, regardless of whether you liked him or not.

"I know, right," sighed Joanne from behind me. I whirled around and saw her with her chin resting on her arms that were crossed on the counter. "He's so... impossible. Ugh, _why_ did I have to be born a geek? Why couldn't I have been a hot blonde or something?"

"I don't like him," I said, looking away from him and his light. "He gives me the creeps." Which wasn't totally untrue. I took a seat in front of her, blocking her view of him.

"Oh, come on, Kathy," she said, smirking. "I haven't seen you so flustered since you dated Mike."

"Don't me remind me of that jerk," I growled. Ugh, all that guy wanted was every penny I had. I could _see_ his hand making for my wallet every time we went out for dinner or something.

"Face it, girl," Joanne chided, nudging me. "You are in L-O-V-E."

"Oh, please," I said, rolling my eyes and shaking my head. "He's just another playboy who knows something I need to know."

"So you need a little one-on-one?" Joanne giggled and nudged me some more. "I think I can figure something out..." Her eyes suddenly swirled out of focus as she thought about the different ways she could arrange our meeting.

"Without the candles and the roses, please," I said loudly, snapping her out of it. She grinned mischievously but held her hands up in defeat saying, "Okay, okay. Just stay right here after closing time. I can handle it."

I was the ever-stubborn sceptic. "You sure? And the girls?"

"Don't worry about it," laughed Joanne. "I was an expert at fooling teachers into thinking that I had nothing to do with whatever 'heinous' thing I did."

"So even the geek can be a rebel."

A glint appeared in Joanne's eyes for a split second but disappeared before I could see it for what it meant. But in the end, I went with her plan and just went the whole day determinedly avoiding looking at the guy for fear that my eyeballs would get sizzled the second I did.


	2. Chapter 2: I Go On A Joyride

So later that day when the last of the customers and staff had gone home, I was to be found "fixing" the last of my stuff. I hadn't told anybody what I was up to but it was like they already knew. I gathered that much from the whispers and the giggles behind my back. I made a mental note to _thank _Joanne for her tactless approach. I remembered seeing the guy leave a few minutes after chatting with the girls and sharing some "poetry". When I heard his verses, I almost choked on my own saliva. Well, at least that was _one _thing about him that wasn't drop dead gorgeous: his poem skills. Shiny guy: three. Me: one.

But anyway, like Joanne had promised, the guy was just waiting at table eleven. Even though all the lights were turned off save one, _his_ light filled just about the entire place, flooding every corner. I had to squint just to see what he was doing-checking out his fingernails. I rolled my eyes as best I could while squinting. He looked up just as I was within hand-shaking distance and grinned. I looked away a little too late, temporarily blinded.

"So you can see the real me, can you?" he asked so casually I wanted to punch his lights out (no pun intended, folks).

"I just need some answers," I replied, trying to keep my voice even. "Now."

"Well we can't reach a diplomatic decision if one of us can't look at the other in the eye," he said.

"Well if you would be so kind as to turn down your light," I said coolly, "I'd be happy to negotiate properly."

All of a sudden, the intense light faded and I turned to him. He was still glowing but it was a dull light. Sadly, he was still superhumanly hot so naturally I made a complete fool of myself by just standing there and staring at him with my jaw wide open.

He was wearing jeans, loafers, and a sleeveless T-shirt. Add to that his toned body and sandy hair and I totally understood why the girls were all fawning over him but I was determined _not_ to fall down that path again.

"How's this?" he asked, his arms spread. "Can you see better?"

"Y-yeah, I... guess," I stammered real smart-like. I slapped myself internally and told myself to get a grip. I forced a polite smile and held out my hand. "I'm Katherine Gordon."

Much to my surprise, dismay, and school-girl giddiness, he took my hand and raised it to his lips. "It's nice to make your acquaintance. My friends call me Apollo." He looked up at me and smiled. My face went hot and I realized I was blushing. I snatched my hand away. "Funny name you've got," I muttered.

He laughed. "I get that a lot from mortals," he said. "If you had met any of my other less-than-kind relatives, they would have vaporized you on the spot." I almost laughed but his expression darkened a bit and I knew he wasn't kidding. I swallowed and took my seat in front of him. Then I asked my question: "What am I?"

Apollo rested his elbows on the small round table and interlaced his fingers, staring at me intently. "You're a mortal," he said simply. "But a special one."

"How special?"

"You can see through the Mist, can't you?" he replied like it was obvious.

"Mist? What mist? What are you talking about?" I blurted out.

He sighed heavily and scratched his head like he was wracking his brains for the answer. "It's hard to explain, Miss Gordon," he said. "And I'm not supposed to go around telling mortals the truth willy-nilly. And you may not be able to take it so easily."

That kind of hit me like a slap in the face. Why couldn't I take it easily? I've seen a guy with freaking horns on his head. I've seen women with snake legs, for crying out loud. I've seen so many disgusting and scary things in my life that should've shoved me into a solitary confinement for the rest of my life! How could I _not_ be able to take it easily? I put my foot down. "Look, here, buddy..." I began to say but he cut me off with a wave of his hand. Usually I wouldn't let anybody do that but he had some kind of authority that made me clamp my mouth shut. Add to the list of things I hate about this guy: total control over me and my actions.

"Security purposes, my dear," he said delicately. "I know that you can see through the Mist and all but the less you know, the less you can be involved and that's safer. You have a weak constitution don't you, dear?"

"Don't act like you know me! I _want_ to be involved!" I cried, standing up so fast I made my chair topple over behind me. I slammed my hands on the table and leaned towards him, glowering. I was so mad that I forgot to tell him not to call me _dear_ or _sweetheart_. "I _want_ to know what those monsters are. I _want_ to know what _you_ are. I don't like being so close yet so far to a world I've always wanted to know more about!" I was about that far before remembering that I had to breathe, too, but I was more than satisfied by his mildly surprised expression. He frowned.

"You're lucky that I happen to like mortal women," he said calmly yet with a slight edge in his voice that made me shudder. He tilted his chair back so that it stood on only two of its four legs and placed his feet on the table. "But if you insist, I _can_ show you something." He snapped his fingers and I heard a car roll up front.

"What, you're going to take me for a drive around town?" I sneered. Probably _not_ the right way to address someone who had relatives who could turn you into a pile of ashes in a matter of seconds. But, hey, I couldn't help it. I got reckless when I got nervous. But, you know, I needed a little humbling and that's just what the Apollo guy gave me. He raised an eyebrow expectantly and I sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry. Happy?"

"Very," he said cheerily. I suppressed the urge to kick him. He took his feet off the table and stood up. He held out his hand. "Shall we?" I hesitated, remembering that this was exactly the same way Mike had wooed me into spending every dime I had on our relationship before he ditched me for a rich brunette.

"No, thanks," I told him. "I can keep my own hand."

He looked a little curious but smiled anyway. "Follow me," he said evenly. He walked out of the door so smoothly I was tempted to run after him and cling onto him. Then I was reminded that it was because of that part of my personality that I ended up with near zero assets.

"I'll just lock up!" I called. Then after grabbing the keys, pulling on my coat, and my backpack, I jogged out the door then locked it, turning the key with a jangle. A blast of cold wind greeted me like icy cold knives flying through the air and I had to hold my hair back to see Apollo's car-a red convertible Maserati Spyder with the roof up. Great, I thought. He couldn't just be a hot guy with relatives who could blast me to bits. He had to be a _rich_ hot guy who had relatives who could blast me to bits.

Like him, the car gave off this weird light but I figured he toned it down a bit so I could see it better. Apollo sat at the driver's seat, one hand on the wheel while the engine hummed. I frowned a bit but went around to the passenger side and got in. I buckled my seatbelt and looked at him expectantly. "Now what?" I said.

"Now _this_." Apollo pulled on the wheel and as it tilted, we took off into the sky which kind of freaked me out. I grabbed the edge of my seat with my right hand and his shoulder with my left, which made him veer off-course for a second with a "whoa!" But he got his cool back and we were on track again. He looked over at me and my hard-as-steel grip on his shoulder and told me with a grin, "Relax. I've got it handled. Just... tell me when you're going to do that next time."

Unfortunately, I was hyperventilating so much that I forgot he was even there. "Okay," I muttered frantically to myself. "Relax. I can do this. Twenty thousand feet in the air in a flying car... but I can do this-"

"Actually, we're _thirty five_ thousand feet in the air, not twenty," he corrected me. I almost calmed myself down with my irritation at him. The guy was _so annoying_. Honestly. I wondered how his relatives had managed to raise him and just when I thought he wasn't going to say anything else, he added, "And this is the sun chariot. It's not _just_ a flying car."

"Yeah," I said through gritted teeth. "Yeah, that makes a difference. Just get us down!"

He tsk-tsked and said, "I can't do that, sweetheart. It's a daily obligation and I decided that you could come along."

"And since when could you decide things like that for me?" I demanded though my voice wavered, making my tone not at all impressive.

"Since I was born," he replied matter-of-factly. He hung a right and I began to breathe normally again. Well, as normally as my breathing could possibly get while flying over thirty thousand feet in the sky with some guy with supermodel looks claiming that the flying sports car we were riding in was the "sun chariot". Oh, the joy. After a while of slight turbulence, Apollo said, "So, where should I start?"

"How about telling me who you really are?" I suggested. "Oh, and maybe include the part where you _got the flying car_?"

"Hmm," said Apollo thoughtfully. "Not a very original way to start but if you say so. Alrighty then, I'll give you my full job description." He looked me in the eye and said, "I'm Apollo, the Olympian god of the sun, of the prophecy, of music, of poetry, of archery, of healing, of plagues, and of light. You get all that?"

"I lost you at 'god'," I said truthfully, taking my hand off of his shoulder. "What do you mean by 'Olympian'?"

"I mean what I said," Apollo replied, turning his attention back to the sky ahead. "Usually I'd explain with a limerick but I'm getting tired of limericks now. Maybe I should go to Japan or something. Get some new material."

"Um, that's interesting and all but you haven't explained everything yet. By 'Olympian' I mean," I said. Then I realized something. It just popped into my brain: a memory from seventh grade. From History class. And then another one from more recent times: a Disney movie I'd watched-_Hercules_. "Olympian," I repeated. "The twelve Olympians. The most important gods in Greek mythology. Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Dionysus, Poseidon, Hephaestus, Ares, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes, Artemis, and... Apollo. You."

"Exactly," he said. He studied me for a while. "You know your way around school pretty well, don't you? Let me guess: Ivy League?"

"Not exactly," I laughed. "I never graduated high school."

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "I could've sworn you were some sort of theoretical physician or something."

I cracked up again. I had to admit it-he was funny. But not funny intentionally, I suppose. "Theoretical _physicist_," I told him. Then I said something I never meant to: "I wanted to be one, though."

"Hmm. I see." But he said it like _I knew it!_ I sighed through my nose. Whether I liked it or not, I was warming up to him. Maybe we could be friends, I thought. Just friends. Then maybe we could just hang out like this every now and then. And maybe-

Whoa, there, cried my common sense. This is a bad idea. You shouldn't get too close to this guy. If what he's saying is true and he's a _god_, he can just obliterate you whenever he wants to. Or maybe even worse. An image of me as a chicken materialized in my mind's eye.

Well, I don't know about you people but _that_ snapped me out of it. This girl did _not_ want to be turned into poultry. I switched into formal mode. "So..." I said, smoothing the imaginary folds in my coat. "Are you saying that the Olympians are real?"

"Yup," he said, taking a left turn to goodness-knows-where. "Pretty much everything in you mortals' Greek mythology textbooks is true. Well maybe the thing about ole' Ares being a nude youth with a helm and spear isn't what the way mortals think it is. I think that started because Hephey saw him with Aphrodite that time in Athens. Ares got so mad he cast this really thick Mist so the Greeks could forget whatever _things_ they saw that day. But of course, they _never_ forgot."

"Hephey...?" I asked.

"Oh, Hephaestus," Apollo clarified. "Nice guy, nice guy. Misunderstood as all. Pretty good with the hammer, if I do say so myself. You know, I remember the time-"

"Ohhh-kaayyy," I interrupted. "So, um, about those monsters I keep seeing, too. Care to explain to the mortal what they are?"

"Like I said, it's all in your first-grade Greek mythology."

"The guy with horns?" I asked incredulously, sitting forward.

"Pasiphae's son."

"The women with snake legs?"

"_Dracanae_," Apollo said, scowling. "Nasty bunch. They apparently _don't_ like it when you bait them with bacon. Well, it was a nice try anyway."

"And I suppose the teenagers with one eye are..."

Apollo nodded. "Cyclopes. Poseidon's kids."

I collapsed onto the backrest, slightly in shock but slightly in relief. "So I'm not crazy," I murmured. I ran my hands through my hair and laughed, sounding a little like a maniac. "I'm not crazy!"

"Not in the slightest," Apollo said confidently. "Believe me, I would know if I was talking to a crazy person."

I took a shaky breath and calmed myself. "You still haven't told me where we're going."

"Oh. Right." A forgetful god. Now I've seen it all. But he grinned like it wasn't a big deal. "We're going to Olympus."

My jaw dropped again. "_What?_ You mean where the gods live? Are you serious?" All of a sudden I felt excited. I mean, how couldn't I be? We were going to freaking _Olympus_. A place I'd only seen once and that was in a Disney movie. And even then it was gorgeous. Then something occurred to me. "But," I said, "aren't mortals, you know, not allowed in there?"

"Well yeah," he said slowly. "That's why we're just going to go near enough for you to see it. And you _can_ see it. What with your ability to see through the Mist and all."

"Cool," I breathed. Like I could say anything else. I shifted on my seat and made myself comfortable.

"Buuut..."

"What now?"

"We have to make a little detour," said Apollo with enough good cheer to make Santa want to run and hide. "Since this thing can only go west, we'll be getting to Olympus in the morning. So you should sleep tight for a bit."

"Does this have anything to do with the car being the"-I made quotation marks in the air-"sun chariot?"

Apollo laughed. "Pretty much. What do you say to a few poems to pass the time? I'll start." He cleared his throat and found time for a dramatic pause.

"_The stars are twinkling in the sky._

_I don't like the smell of a pig sty._

_Maybe I should eat some stir fry._

_I'm just really so sly._"

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing but it was really, _really_ hard. At the same time, I was trying not to puke. He was the Olympian god of poetry, but I was beginning to think that the Greeks meant _bad_ poetry. But I gave the guy credit for trying. "Is-Is it my turn now?" I managed to say while swallowing my laughter. He nodded, completely oblivious of my hopeless case of the giggles because he was too busy being proud of his new poem. It took me a while to think up some verses but after working around so many poetry fanatics for a couple of years, I was beginning to get the hang of it. "How about this?" I asked.

"_The relentless wind howls in my ears._

_I cower, afraid, in the darkness._

_Then out of the blue, a light appears,_

_And I am pulled free, to which I foolishly digress._"

Apollo applauded and the car lurched downward. I yelled, "The car!" In a matter of seconds, he caught the wheel and pulled us back up. He smiled yet again and said, "Don't worry. I'm a pro at this. We won't fall. But, anyway, your poem was great! Almost as good as mine! You know, maybe with a little more practice, you could be as great a poet as me and I _am_ the god of poetry after all..."

I pursed my lips to keep from smirking. "Yeah," I said. "Thanks. I think." It was then that a yawn escaped from my mouth.

The sun god looked at me strangely. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. But, in the end, he said, "Get some rest. I'll wake you up when we get there."

I yawned again. "Yeah, okay... But I don't think... I'll be... asleep... too long..." I hadn't realized it but my eyelids had begun to droop. I curled up on my side and drifted off to dreamland.


	3. Chapter 3: Haikus Aren't Everything

Chapter Three: Haikus Aren't Everything...

I came to a couple of times before I finally fell asleep (hey, trying to fall asleep in a flying Maserati isn't as easy as it sounds). In those couple of times, Apollo and I talked a bit about the gods and goddesses and what in the world they were doing in America. He explained to me, the normal person, that the core of the gods' power, Olympus, followed the centre of Western civilization. For now it was good old U.S.A. and Apollo told me that it wouldn't be like that forever so I felt proud that my home country was where the fire was birghtest. So, because of that, Olympus was floating right above the Empire State building. It took me a while to wrap my head around what he was saying but the fact that we were in a flying vehicle helped. And so, after finding out that the shiny biker guy was Ares (god of war and beating people up) and that the shiny model was Aphrodite (goddess of love and all things pretty), I got some _real_ sleep.

Later on, I could feel someone poking me tentatively. I swatted their hand away, muttering, "Five more minutes..." Well, whoever they were, they were a persistent bunch: they poked me again. Harder. In the ribs. I sat bolt upright then clutched my side. I turned and glared at the inconsiderate _someone_ who couldn't have just nudged me or something. But no-o-o, he had to jab me in the ribs like some sort of... some sort of... some sort of guy who hurts people to wake them up (Yeah, not very creative but I couldn't think of anything else. Well, it's more dignified than, like, "meanie" or something)!

Apollo grinned widely. "Guess what?" he said.

"What?" I said irritably.

"We're in Japan!"

"_What?_"

"Japan," he repeated, though not impatiently. "I landed us in _Japan_! Isn't this great? Now I can get new inspiration _and_ new material!" He turned away from me, contemplating the steering wheel, and muttered excitedly, "I wonder what sort of poetry they've got around here..."

That was when I sat up properly and took a good look around. Trees rose all around us and the sky glowed golden. Grass covered the ground. In the distance between the trees, I could see a really big, snow-capped mountain. _Mt. Fuji_, I realized. We were in a park. A national park. And I didn't think that the Japanese authorities would be very happy with the smoking black circle 5 metres wide that rounded the car. "Hey," I said to a slightly delusional-looking Apollo who was muttering to himself. He looked up at me. His eyes were shining brightly as he thought about all the new stuff he could learn about here. I sighed. What was the harm? Okay, probably more bad verses were already on their way but he just seemed so hyped about the whole thing.

"I'm staying right here," I said firmly. "There is absolutely _no_ way you can get me an inch out of this car. I'm not going." Of course I did.

After getting lost a couple of times, we finally got out of the park with only a dozen people staring at us. Well, it was a great start. We hailed a taxi and rode to Tokyo, where "all the good stuff are" according to Apollo. Then he gave the driver a bunch of gold coins that I would know later on (as in three seconds later) to be golden drachmas. I noted that the ones he paid the driver with had his face on one side and the Empire State building on the other. The driver looked a little confused but then Apollo snapped his fingers and, with the gold in his hands, the guy sped away.

Eventually, we ended up in a restaurant, ordering two bowls of ramen... whatever that was. Strangely, the people here weren't as affected from Apollo's presence as I expected. But anyway, while waiting for our food, Apollo talked about his many adventures as the sun god such as the very fascinating one about the time a salamander crawled into his pants while he was halfway across the sky... I guess that explained the sudden heat wave which was followed by an almost immediate chill a few months ago that weather reporters explained as a freak change in the temperature related to global warming or something like that.

In turn, I told him some of my own stories (which probably did not affect entire states) like the time I tripped while serving some important looking guy and got tuna and beer all over his crisp Italian suit. I almost got the entire club sued were it not for Joanne's charm... When I got to the part about Joanne, Apollo asked me how well I knew her.

"Well," I said slowly. "We're best friends so I guess I know her pretty well. Like, I know her favourite colour and I know how she likes her steak. Stuff like that."

"How about her parents?" Apollo asked me, obviously not very impressed by my answer. "Did she ever mention anything about them? Her mom in particular?"

The ramen arrived and the delicious smell tantalized my senses but I focused on Apollo's question. I thought hard. "No," I said finally. "She never did say anything about them."

"Ah, okay," Apollo said, his eyebrows knitted together. But in the end, he smiled his usual grin."Come on. Let's eat." I didn't argue and dug in. But as I ate, I felt like he was holding something back from me about Joanne. Maybe he had a crush on her. That was probably it. So I decided to drop the subject for the time being.

After eating, we roamed the streets of Tokyo like the hotel-less tourists we were. Apollo kept looking through the crowds of people that kept walking around us, almost like he was looking for someone. And he was. Soon enough, he spots some schoolgirl about fourteen years old looking at a wide selection of bread and pulls me toward her.

"My dear!" he called. The girl turns from the bread to us and at first she looks surprised, confused, and maybe a little scared. I rolled my eyes. Who could blame her? Any girl with her wits about her would be nervous if a random guy just calls out to you like that. He even called her _my dear_! What kind of a first impression was he looking for?

But apparently, being an Olympian god had its perks and, with a wave of his hand, Apollo got the girl to become our makeshift tour guide. Her name was Azusa Sumiregawa she said. And then she started talking all about Japan's history and culture and whatnot while having this weird faraway look in her eyes, like she wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying. Weird couldn't even begin to cut it when she apologized in plain English that she couldn't speak English.

"What did you _do_?" I hissed into Apollo's ear as we walked side by side behind her.

"Just a little trick with the Mist," he said, some pride in his voice. "Now all I have to do is ask her what kind of poems they have here in Japan. Same way in Limerick. They had... well, limericks, didn't they?"

"Yeah, sure," I said, eyeing the girl who was rattling away about the samurai and their wars. "But... is she going to be okay?"

"Not _just_ okay," he replied like he was offended. "She'll be absolutely peachy. Azusa, my dear!"

She stopped and turned to face us, beaming offhandedly. "Yes?"

"Could you tell us more about what kind of poems the Japanese people mostly use?"

"We use haikus," she said, holding up a finger in a _listen this is really, really important_ gesture. "Haikus are poems unique to Japan. They are three-liners that mostly describe the beauty of nature. The first and last lines have five syllables whilst the middle line has seven. It is usually very simple and is the poem of choice for most amateur poets. The history of the haiku dates back to..." Azusa went on and on and on, spouting facts like a faucet with faulty plumbing.

"Haikus!" Apollo cried the same way I figured a scientist would say _Gadzooks!_ once they found out the answer to some long unsolved mystery. "My next verses of pure genius will be in the form of _haikus_! Perfect!" He took Azusa's hands and shook them vigorously. "Thank you, my dear!" At once, Azusa's expression turned into one of confusion again and she collapsed in his arms. Working quickly, he scooped her up and headed towards a nearby bench. I shook away a rush of envy as he gently lowered her onto the bench and fixed her so that when she woke up, she'd think she'd fallen asleep there.

"Haikus, huh?" I murmured as Apollo came jogging back to me, looking extremely pleased.

"Let's celebrate!" Apollo declared. "I say we explore the city and have some fun, shall we?"

He looked so happy that I couldn't help but feel happy, too. He was so-okay, I'm gonna say it-sunny that I felt I teensy bit jealous. Alright maybe I was _a lot_ jealous. My life wasn't exactly the best life somebody could have. So many things always went wrong that I began to feel like there was no point letting my hopes get up really high. But Apollo acted like everything was just awesome and he was totally upbeat about everything. I had a feeling that even if stuff started blowing up in his face, he'd put on a brave smile and get on with it. A whole lot of emotions ran through me. Admiration, envy, anger, amusement...

"Okay, sure," I ended up saying. "Why not?"

He beamed and said, "Looks like we have lots to do. Places to go. And we only have a few hours to do that."

"And why is that?"

"We-e-ell," said Apollo slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Let's just say that it wouldn't be a very good day for America if we got back too late."

"That's... comforting," I said, grinning despite myself. "Then what do we do after our great tour of Tokyo?"

"Hmm..." Apollo furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. Then he snapped his fingers. "I got it! We'll have a haiku competition. Loser buys the winner's meal of choice."

"You're on," I told him.

And that was when I realized that there was something else that I felt about him. Some new emotion I couldn't name yet. It was still really small, like a new little plant sprouting out of the ground. And it was growing. I still didn't know what it was nor did I understand it yet but all I could think of was what I'd make Apollo buy me when I won the contest.

The day didn't end as well as I'd hoped. First things first: I "lost" the haiku contest. Not that I was going to complain with Apollo being the "god of poetry". So I bought him a burger meal from a fast food restaurant in downtown Tokyo. Secondly: I wasn't able to see Olympus after all. It wasn't that I couldn't see through the Mist and see the home of the gods/core of Greek mythology. It was that we weren't even able to go to New York at all. It was all because of a bunch of seagulls and a piece of bubble wrap (don't ask). Thirdly: (and this is gonna get you people real good) I wasn't going to be able to see Apollo for a few days because he had to run a few errands. Saying goodbye to him was like a punch in the gut and when I woke up the next afternoon, I was left to wonder if all that was a dream.

I settled back into my usual routine-wake up, eat breakfast, brush my teeth, dress up, get to work, annoy my boss until he agrees to give me a pay raise, lock up, go home, eat dinner, brush my teeth, get ready for bed, sleep, and repeat. I was back. But I wasn't happy about it.

Joanne badgered me about Apollo for a really long time which I appreciated. It was proof that he actually existed and wasn't a figment of my imagination. She'd spot me daydreaming and demand if I was thinking about him. I'd snap back, tell her she was being dumb, and get back to thinking about our trip to Japan.

Finally, a week passed and I was already beginning to psych myself into thinking that he wasn't going to come back and whisk me away to Ireland or something. It was late in the afternoon and the poetry readings had begun. I was only half listening as Bob, one of our usual patrons, read his poem-something about poisonous poppies-when I realized that I had begun to write a poem of my own on a piece of napkin. It was a haiku.

"_The sweet smell of grass..._

_The drone of the bumblebee..._

_The-_"

My pen's tip sat at the very tip of the _e_ and moved no farther. I couldn't think how to end it. I frowned and began to crumple the napkin when somebody snuck up on me from behind.

"How about _The sun god just rocks_?"

And I knew I was in for another ride.

AN: I got the Japanese girl's name from K-On! and R.O.D. the TV. Kudos to those awesome animes! And I do know what ramen is. Katherine doesn't. She hasn't ever left America nor does she have any Japanese friends. I LOVE Japan and my prayers are with them. Right, and one more thing, a one-word trailer for the next chapter: _Artemis._


	4. Chapter 4: I Go On A Little Hunting Trip

Chapter Four: I Go On A Little Hunting Trip

Yeah, you guessed it. We were gonna go flying again. In his Maserati, a.k.a THE SUN CHARIOT. Gods, I'll never get tired of that. Except today it was a van. A large one that could probably fit around ten to eleven people. Yes, the amazing sun chariot can also shape-shift into whatever vehicle you want or need. Unfortunately, it's one of a kind and requires magic on a godly level, blah, blah, blah. Basically, you can't have one and neither can I. Anyway, Apollo wouldn't say exactly _what_ his errands were but he said that they had something to do with red cows. Well, that's totally cleared up now, isn't it?, I thought, frowning as he said _red cows_. But then he mentioned that he still had one last errand to run.

"So-o-o," I said slowly. "Why am I coming with you again?"

"Because I want you to meet somebody," he replied happily, buckling his seatbelt. "I think you're going to like her. Plus, she's got great friends. I can totally tell that they _adore_ hearing my artistic works."

"Yeah, um, that's great!" I wasn't sure what to say. If anybody on this planet actually liked his poetry, they were probably deaf people who are in denial of their inability to hear. I'm really, really sorry but I didn't like the way he thought that his creations were so good. It made me feel a little sorry for him. But then it also made me a little ticked off at the fact that he couldn't tell the difference between a good poem and a bad one when he himself had been branded the god of poetry. Then again, I hadn't the heart to tell him that he sucked at it. There are two reasons for that. One, I was a softie and two, he was the _sun god_, for Zeus' sake (Yeah, I _am_ getting used to the whole Greek gods thing. I did some research, too. I get great reception up at thirty thousand feet!). I'm not stupid enough to just say something real mean like, _Hey, my poems are better than yours by a long shot and _mine_ suck!_ when he could turn me into a human French fry at will.

"This someone," I prompted. "Is she really as nice as you say she is?"

"Of course she is," Apollo said sternly, like I had said something really wrong. "I've known her for more than a hundred thousand years!"

I winced, remembering once again that he was immortal. It's hard to get used to but my brain was already putting together the Formula: _immortal being+ godly powers+ some badmouthing= toasted Katherine with buttered ego on the side_. So yeah, it isn't easy being friends with one of these guys but at the same time it was really fun. Not a single moment with them is boring. It's always, _always_ interesting-whether or not they're trying to decide when to kill you. I sure don't speak from experience (and I hope I never get to) but I had a good enough memory to know how Medusa had gone from downright gorgeous to downright _hideous_ by Athena's hand. And Athena was the goddess of _wisdom_ not _turning people into snakeheads_. So if she could do that, what could the other gods like Ares or Poseidon or Hades do? I shuddered. I didn't want to know.

"Are you okay?" Apollo asked me as the van lurched up into the sky. He sounded concerned and at that assumption, my heart jumped. I told it to get back to work.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I managed. "Just a little tired, you know? What with work and all..."

"Oh, okay," he said but there was something about his tone that was kind of weird. It wasn't mad or anything like that. I guess... _reluctant_ would be the right word. But reluctant about what?

_Joanne_, my brain whispered and a light went off in my head. I remembered our conversation back in Japan while we ate ramen. The way Apollo talked about her then... It was different. I thought maybe he had a crush on her but there was only one way to find out.

"Hey, um, Apollo?"

"Yeah?"

"You know something about Joanne, don't you?" I told him. "The way you asked me if I knew her really well... What do you know about her that I don't?"

Apollo tensed a bit, like he didn't want to go into the subject. But he sighed and said, "She's a demigod. A child of Aphrodite."

I drew a breath. Joanne? A demigod? A daughter of Aphrodite? It made sense but my brain was totally thrown out of whack. Joanne did always like to gossip about boys and relationships but she never struck me as 'Love goddess's kid' material. I mean, the woman could eat a T-bone steak like a lioness that hadn't eaten in three days. I wasn't sure that Aphrodite could pull off something like that. But something still didn't make sense. "But why don't you want to talk about her?" I asked him. It wasn't the right thing to ask because he suddenly turned hard of hearing and muttered something about how the clouds seemed fluffier today. I could tell that he didn't want to talk about it so I dropped it again. The first awkward silence _EVER_ descended upon us and I shifted uncomfortably on my seat. Apollo cleared his throat like he wanted a change of subject. I complied.

"So... your dad's Zeus, huh?" I said, remembering what I'd read online.

"Yeah," he said, obviously relieved that I hadn't decided to pursue the topic of Joanne. "He's okay."

"And your mom is-"

"Leto," Apollo answered.

"Was she... mortal or...?"

"Most people think that she is but others know better," he said cautiously. "Dad never wanted anyone to know that he had, ah, an _affair_ with a Titan."

Lightning crackled somewhere below us, like Zeus was irritated that his son was sharing something that he ought not to. And from what Apollo said, I was guessing that he was. But if what Apollo was saying was true, then it was a something Zeus should be embarrassed about. I mean, _he_ was the one who led the gods _against_ the Titans in the first place, right? And _he_ was the one who led the council thingies that ended in their eternal punishment. Sure, there were _some_ Titans who had sided with the gods like Prometheus but even they were punished. So if Zeus himself was found out for dating a Titan, it would be the worst scandal _ever_.

"And who are the... _others_?" I asked tentatively.

"Ever check the Internet?" he said. "It's all there. Whoever wrote the stuff about Mom being the Titan of motherhood wasn't kidding."

"So..." I opened my cell phone's Internet server and checked it out. Sure enough, under _Other Titans_, Leto was there, described as "_The Titan of Motherhood and mother of Artemis and Apollo"._ But then that totally differed from another site that called Leto a mortal from a Greek island called Delos. Apollo was right-not everybody knew the truth. Nor was anybody sure what _was_ the truth. The only way one would know was from Leto's kids themselves: the twins Artemis and Apollo.

"Artemis," I said.

"What?"

"She's who you're taking me to now, right?"

"Mm, yeah," Apollo said. "I figured you two would need to meet each other."

"Why?"

He shook his head. "Can't really say. But I thought you'd understand it if I reminded you that I _am_ the god of prophecies, too."

"That absolutely made everything _much_ clearer, thanks," I said sarcastically. We laughed. It was a nice thing to hear. We began to descend. The van glowed bright and I covered my eyes, knowing somehow that if I watched the light, my eyes would burn up and my brain would turn into stew. Not a very nice way to die.

Eventually, we landed on solid ground and we unbuckled our seatbelts but Apollo told me to wait in the bus while he "went through the formalities" so I stayed but opened my door so I could at least try and hear what he'd be talking about. I looked around first and realized that we had landed in a clearing in the middle of some woods. The usual sizzling black ring encircled the place where we had landed. A few yards away from the van was a small group of young girls between nine and fifteen that gave off a distinct silvery aura. Every one of them wore ski parkas, jeans, and hard, determined faces, like they'd seen more battles than they would've liked. All of them were beautiful. But one girl stood out. One with an aura much, much brighter than the rest. A twelve year old girl with auburn hair tied back into a ponytail and eyes that looked the colour of the moon. Artemis, the goddess of the Hunt.

"Sis!" he cried gleefully, his arms spread. "It's about time! I've been waiting for you to call on me for decades! And the girls are as beautiful as ever, I see." He winked at them and all of them-save Artemis who frowned with distaste-glared at him like he'd committed a unforgivable sin. I didn't avoid looking at Artemis because her glow was soft like the moon's light. Unlike Apollo's real glare that burned like the sun, Artemis' was embracing yet mysterious like the moon. I would've loved to be her BFF except her expression also held the look of a several millennia old deity who'd seen lots of horrific times but had also seen lots of splendour.

"Hello, brother," she said irritably. "You're early, considering the fact that winter draws near. Why is that?"

"Well, I couldn't wait to see you!" he said and from the tone of his voice, I guessed that he was grinning. "And guess what? I went to Japan and got some new material: _haikus_! Five-seven-five and all about nature! They're awesome! Want to hear one?" He cleared his throat and held up his hand the way people usual did when they were going to say _To be or not to be-_that_ is the question._

"No, thank you, brother," said Artemis as all the Hunters started protesting but Apollo wasn't listening.

"_The leaves are golden._

_Artemis _so_ needs my help._

_I am just so cool._"

"Only the first line was about nature," Artemis sighed. "Anyway, my Hunters need to-"

"But it _is_ in a younger sister's nature to need her elder brother's help," said Apollo, frowning as he defended the poor logic of his haiku. "And one can't help the fact that I am indeed very cool."

"We're _twins_! We were born on the _same day_!" Artemis said angrily. "This is the three thousand four hundred and twenty second time I've reminded you of that!"

"Actually you've told me more times than that," said Apollo, raising a finger as if to chide his "younger sister". "So where do your Hunters need to go this time?"

Artemis scowled as if waiting for Apollo to make some smart remark but he didn't. "Camp Half-Blood," she said finally. "A few of my Hunters including Zoë and I must attend to some... unfinished business." A girl I figured to be Zoë stepped forward from the group of girls and bowed her head respectfully yet stiffly-like she didn't really want to-to Apollo.

"Lord Apollo," she acknowledged a little coldly. "My lady Artemis wishes for a hunt to only be carried out by the most experienced of us. The others must stay at Camp Half-Blood for their safety." Some of the younger girls behind her shifted uneasily as though they really wanted to go and wouldn'tve agreed to stay at this camp thing if they could help it.

"Camp Half-Blood? No problem! I can get them there faster than you can say _Apollo, you rock!_!"

Artemis frowned again. "You remembered to change the car into something else before you arrived," she said pointedly. "Is there something wrong, dear brother?" She said _dear brother_ like _idiot brother_ but I guess it was the same to her. She narrowed her eyes and I realized she was looking right at me. I looked down at my lap and started twiddling my thumbs like crazy. If her gaze made me nervous, it was nothing compared to what she said next. "Is that your latest suitor? Is she why you have been so thorough this time?" I blushed fiercely and felt the need to tell her off as she said this but kept my head down. No need to be rash, I told myself. Remember she's a goddess, too. An Olympian no less. She could transform me into a worm without giving it a moment's consideration.

Apollo sounded much better than I felt but I could still sense a distinct trace of embarrassment or nervousness. "Um, no, not really. We're just friends and I... I figured that you get to meet her or something." I looked up just in time to see Artemis raise an eyebrow like she wasn't convinced. She looked at me again and I re-averted my gaze to the dashboard.

"It seems that the unfinished business must wait for a while," said Artemis.

"My lady!" I heard Zoë protest. "The monster mustn't get away with such heinous-" Someone cut her off. Most likely Artemis.

"Apollo," she said. "I will take the woman with me for a... discussion. Return and fetch my Hunters tomorrow." I looked back at them and saw Apollo tense like he was about to argue but he sighed, saying, "Alright. I'll go tell her."

"Do not," ordered Artemis. "She knows. Let her come forth herself."

All eyes turned on me and I gulped. I caught Apollo's eye and he nodded reassuringly though stiffly. He smiled. I got out of the van and though my legs felt like lead and my face was burning, I traipsed toward them. The short walk seemed like it took forever but finally, I ended up before Artemis. I bowed awkwardly. "Lady Artemis," I said respectfully. It seemed weird bowing to a twelve year old but I knew that gods and goddesses were to be respected. If I had done otherwise, I would probably be a pile of bear poop.

"Rise, maiden," she ordered. I obeyed. She studied me carefully but said nothing in addition. She turned to the girls and told them to pitch their tents in the clearing for tonight and to wait for us in the morning to which they reluctantly, every now and then glancing at me in interest and maybe even some awe. Obviously their mistress didn't ask for private day-long audiences with just anybody. Zoë, however, wasn't impressed. She glared at me but not with the same intensity as she had Apollo.

After Artemis explained what they were to do, we bid farewell to Apollo (which I secretly wasn't so happy about-yes, laugh, all of you) and the Hunters (which I was fine about seeing as they kept training their eyeballs at me).

Then we were off into the woods.


	5. Chapter 5: A Goddess' Hospitality

Chapter Five: A Goddess' Hospitality

"You do understand why I have pulled you away from my failure of a brother, don't you?"

This was the first time Artemis had addressed me informally and not in the presence of other people so naturally I said something very intelligent like, "I... ah uh..."

We crossed a river by using a mossy fallen log as a bridge and I could've sworn that I saw faces in the river's currents smiling at me and gurgling a greeting for Artemis. She stopped halfway across the log and bowed her head in response to the beaming faces rippling in the water. Much to my surprise, I saw arms and hands appear beside the faces and they waved at us before disappearing into the rush of the water.

"I didn't know you ruled over rivers, too," I said to her, admiration evident in my words. She smiled.

"Rivers are part of the wilderness, child," she explained patiently. "I may not rule over river spirits as Lord Poseidon or the other river gods but the naiads still pay their respects to me."

"Oh, I see," I said. Okay, I'll admit it. This was majorly cool. I was talking to _Artemis_, one of the two Olympian goddesses to gave their vows to Zeus to remain maidens for all eternity, the other being Hestia, goddess of the hearth. Out of all the other goddesses, Artemis was my hero... heroine. She was tough yet graceful and I read that she was just awesome with the bow and arrow.

"Let us forge onward," said Artemis and she began to jog deeper into the woods. I followed her, every nerve in my body buzzing with excitement. We ventured into the heart of the forest, jumping over thistles and streams, skirting some ridges, but generally keeping to a beaten mountain path. We walked briskly now, as we passed several animals who would appear next to the path and bow their heads in respect for Artemis. She in turn would give them a bow of her own head or a smile and they would twitch their noses as if they wanted to smile, too, then scamper off into the trees.

"So I ask again," said Artemis as she helped me over a rather large fallen log blocking the path which was now fading as grass and moss began to creep onto it. "You do know why I have pulled you away from my failure of a brother, don't you?"

I replied with stubbing my toe on a branch of the log, losing my footing, and sitting down hard on the cool ground (not cool as cool _cool_ but cool as in cool cold-you guys get that right?). "Ow ow ow..." I muttered under my breath as I rubbed my backside and tried to ignore my throbbing toe.

Artemis cleared her throat as if to say _The question?_

"Oh, uh, right, um," I stammered. But I answered truthfully. "Does this have something to do about me being his possible girlfriend?"

Artemis' eyes glinted, like I had answered correctly but also like she despised the answer. We walked on in silence. The path had completely vanished now. Rarer animals started popping up. Deer, black bears, and boars-all sacred animals of Artemis- made it a priority to nuzzle against Artemis and even after she would pet them on their heads, they would continue to trot alongside us until Artemis insisted that they leave. Finally, we reached a small clearing filled with wildflowers. The sweet smell entered my nostrils and I inhaled deeply, drinking it in. Artemis waved her hand and two large flat headed stones appeared at the centre of the small clearing. She sat on one and I sat on the other. Finally she spoke again.

"I am... pained," said Artemis slowly, "whenever I see that my brother has, as you say, _bedazzled_ another maiden. Most of the time, he is not completely serious about the relationship and he cuts it off at the most horrible time-when the maiden will be most hurt."

I was shocked. Apollo seemed like such a nice guy. Annoying, yeah, but pretty nice all in all. It didn't occur to me that he would be keen to break girls' hearts so easily. _I told you so_, my common sense scolded from the back of my mind. Shut up, I told it. I spoke to Artemis. "But... why would he do that?"

She frowned. "My brother does not do it with ill intention. On the contrary, he does it with a good heart." When she said that I was totally confused. How would you break up with someone but do it with pure intention? Artemis seemed to read my thoughts exactly. "It is not as you think, maiden," she said. "To put it in shorter and easier to understand terms, my brother Apollo has no backbone when it comes to maidens."

"Huh?" I had no idea what she meant. The first time I saw Apollo, he was flirting with as many girls as I had fingers. He seemed _extremely_ outgoing when we were in Japan. Emphasis on _extremely_. He freaking called a random adolescent girl _my dear_ then had the gall to carry her in her "sleep". _How in the world was that supposed to be having no backbone?_

"Look up, maiden," ordered Artemis. I was a little surprised at the sudden order but I obeyed anyway. I looked up and realized that the noon sun was right above us but it was a little colder than usual. I mean, it was almost winter and all but this was a different kind of cold. It was almost... sad.

Apollo.

I bit my lower lip. "Is... Is he going to be okay?"

"That I am not so sure about," sighed Artemis. "But that is not what I ask you to see. Describe it."

That was when I realized it. Yeah, stupid me, it was _the sun_. "Um," I said. "It's sunny? And bright? Warm?" I looked at her and caught her eye. She truly did seem pained. I felt a rush of gratitude and flattery at her concern. Gods: 2. Me: -1.

"And that is my brother's personality," Artemis said gently. "He is much too optimistic about what the next day will bring that he fails to see what lies right in front of him. Soon he realizes that he has been entangled with another maiden that is hopelessly smitten with him and, not wanting to hurt her so soon, he goes along with it. But eventually, he cannot help it anymore and he stops everything. The maiden will have known nothing about his true feelings and intentions. All she is left with is a child she knows not what do with and a broken heart."

"Wait, a second-he has _kids?_" Yeah, okay, I should've paid a bit more attention to the other stuff she was saying but when she said _child_, I felt anger, hatred, and jealousy course through me. I suddenly loathed every moment I laughed at his stupid unintentional jokes, every time I smiled in his presence, every time I was actually happy with the guy. I felt wronged. I felt like... like I'd been cheated on. _You were never together!,_ shrieked my common sense. I ignored it. I wanted to break down and cry. It wasn't fair. The world was so unfair to me. Everything... _Everything_ always seemed to go wrong when it came to stuff I wanted. And I want so little now. All I want now is... is...

That was when I got it. I could finally name that extra emotion I got that time in Japan. It was... _love_.(Okay, shut up all of you who are all like, _I TOLD YOU SO! FINALLY! OH MY GODS, YOU'RE SO DENSE! YEEHEE, WHAT A CUTE COUPLE!_ This is _way_ harder when you're feeling it yourself.) All I wanted now was to be with Apollo. To laugh with him, to smile with him, to be happy with him. I'm sorry if this is all too mushy and you're all gagging but it was true. I was in love Apollo. _I was freaking in love with the sun god._ Oh, Styx. Meanwhile, Artemis had a front row seat to all this emotional coming-to-terms-with-my-true-feelings thing and when I realized that, I blushed bright red. She smiled sympathetically.

"My brother indeed chose well," she said and the approval in her voice made me blush even more. I bet I looked like a tomato-head right then and there. "This is only the second time he has deeply and truly loved a maiden."

That was when I was like, WHAT. My mind blanked out and when I spoke, I sort of sounded like a mouse. "Me?" I squeaked. Artemis smiled and nodded. I fought to keep from swooning in happiness. Oh. My. Gods. It was one thing to fall in love with the sun god. It was a completely different matter if he felt the same way.

"Truly, you are correct to feel honoured," she said. "But"- Darn. There's always a catch to these things-"remember that he is a god. An immortal like I. Our bodies and souls are everlasting but our feelings are not. He _will_ get over his love for you someday. Be it tomorrow or a day thousands of millennia from now, even I do not know, but eventually, he shall love another maiden and you will only be able to watch from a distance."

I let Artemis's words sink in. I loved Apollo. I really did. And he loved me, too. But I was mortal. He was a god. An immortal. Loving me for maybe ten or thirty years is like a blink of an eye to him. But for me it was different. Because my death was inevitable, I would end up loving him for the rest of my days but also hurt myself the whole time. Was I willing to take that chance? There had to be another choice.

And Artemis gave me that choice.

"You need another option, do you not, maiden?"

"... Yes."

Artemis straightened and looked me directly in the eye. Her moonlike gaze caught me and I found myself seeing the girls again. They were shimmering and radiated life. They were immortal. I saw them train, loosing arrows on straw dummies magically charmed to flit noiselessly about. The girls hit every last one with deadly accuracy. They were Artemis's Hunters. And I could be one of them.

"But," I said, snapping out of the vision, "I'm twenty-two. Your oldest Hunters are, like, fourteen or fifteen. Give or take."

"Ah," Artemis said like _Good question_. "You forget that I am a goddess. And you are wrong about my Hunters. The eldest Hunter to join me was twenty-three. She requested that I make her appear younger. To make her appear fourteen, the age she was happiest. I obliged. A small price to pay for a glorious eternal hunt with me."

"But why me?" I said (I say a lot of _buts_, don't I?), totally overcome with shock and flattery at her generous offer.

The goddess nodded. "True, I do not usually offer to maidens who have been smitten with boys before and have become obsessed with insecurities, but you and Beatrice were exceptions."

"Beatrice?"

"The second maiden my brother become smitten with," explained Artemis. "She was the Hunter I mentioned."

"Apollo sure likes his twenty-year olds," I muttered. Artemis laughed. It was a nice sound. Not like Apollo's but it was nice in the sense that maybe she didn't laugh all too often. It was special. I beamed but my smile faded in a few seconds.

A bone-chilling roar was ripping through the forest like an invisible rhino. I heard distant booms as someone... or some_thing_ jogged towards us. Another roar. It didn't take me too long to figure that it was mad. _Really_ mad. Artemis froze for a second then grabbed my wrist and dragged me behind a tree. A few seconds later, the ground began to shake as the booming sounds grew louder and louder like giant hammers pounding the forest floor. I was terrified as I cowered behind my tree. I looked over at Artemis who was also hiding behind a tree but I'd bet a million dollars that she looked way cooler than I did. Her body was tense, like a cat's ready to pounce, as she watched the clearing, waiting for whatever was making the noise to emerge.

Another roar. It was much, much louder now. The thing was closing in.

Artemis turned to me, eyes flashing and with a wave of her hand, she conjured a silvery white bow and a quiver of arrows. She thrust them into my hands saying, "For now, you will fight with me. As one of my Hunters."

I realized what she was doing. She knew she couldn't face whatever it was alone but she also knew that the other Hunters were much too far away to come and help. As awesome in combat as they were, we had ventured into the very heart of the woods. Even if they mobilized now, we'd be dead. Or maybe Artemis would be seriously injured and _I_ would be dead. We had to fight this thing on our own. I slung the quiver across my back and gripped the bow. I nodded at her nervously but determinedly. She muttered something and my body began to glow.

A split second later, I was on top of the world. I felt stronger than I'd ever felt in ages. I could notice every detail of every tree and plant in the forest. I felt jumpy, itching for battle. It was then that I realized that my hands were smaller than before. I touched my face and realized that I'd turned into my thirteen year old self-the happiest age I'd ever really been. I smiled. This monster was going down.

"Permission to kill, my lady?" I asked Artemis. I didn't know where the words came from. I just knew what to say and how to say it. I felt confident and sure of myself. She nodded and made her own bow and quiver filled with arrows.

"Permission granted," she said. Just as she said that, the booms had reached their peak and the thing finally stepped into the clearing.

It was a giant.

He was nine feet tall easy and looked a cross between a bear and a man. His upper body was covered in bear fur and his face had a snout jutting out of it. His ears sat at the top of his scalp and were tiny and furry like a teddy bears. It would've been so cute except they sat on a humanoid bear head. His arms were like a man's that were on steroids and had a hair and nail growth disorder. He didn't wear a shirt like normal people (Maybe because he was a nine foot tall half-bear guy with attitude problems. Who knows?) so you could just make out his bulging muscles under the thick fur and he wore a brown loincloth from his waist until just above his knees. From there down, it was pure bear, complete with paws and sharpened claws. The last eye-catching thing about him was the spike-tipped club he kept swinging around like a madman... madbearman.

"Agrius," growled Artemis as she glowered at the creature who let out another roar, as if he knew he was being introduced in the story and wanted a dramatic sound to his name. But I was totally clueless. Being a Hunter sadly didn't include the Greek mythology expertise pack. It was a good thing Artemis knew that. "A man-eating Thracian giant who felled one of my Hunters. He was the one I planned to hunt with only myself and my bravest and most skilled," she said in a low voice. "I was foolish to think that I could venture this far into the woods without attracting his attention."

"Do not scold yourself, my lady," I berated her. It was really weird getting mad at an Olympian. It was like my mind was being driven by somebody else. But it was _awesome_. "It is my fault that we are here." I pulled an arrow out of my quiver and readied to loose it. "Let me defeat Agrius."

"In good time, my Hunter," she said, eyes shining. She really liked the new me. And so did I. Lowering my bow and arrow, I eyed the monster in contempt as it scratched its butt. This giant had killed one of my fellow Hunters. One of my sisters. No matter what, it _had_ to die. By _my_ hand.

I caught Artemis's eye and she nodded. In the brief second that our eyes made contact, I knew what to do.

Agrius let out another roar and spoke in a deep and husky voice. "Great goddess, where are you?" he bellowed. "I have eaten your Hunter and she made a great meal. I am beginning to wonder what _you_ shall taste like!" He snorted as if the thought of eating Artemis was funny. Then he sniffed the air. A curious expression painted itself on his face and he smirked-which looked weird on his man-bear face.

"But maybe I should eat your mortal friend first. She'll make the _perfect_ entrée!"

Artemis emerged from her hiding place and shot Agrius in the eye. He wailed in anger and pain and groped at the arrow lodged in his cornea but it was too small for his huge clawed hands to pull out.

Our battle plan had begun.


	6. Chapter 6: I Make A Bold Decision

Chapter Six: I Make A Bold Decision

"Agrius!" bellowed Artemis. Her voice seemed much deeper and much older for a twelve year old girl. Then again she _was_ the Goddess of the Hunt. "You have devoured one of my Hunters! For that, you deserve divine punishment. I shall personally ensure that your stay at Tartarus will _not_ be a short one!"

"Foolish goddess! I will chew you slowly!" replied Agrius, brandishing his spiky club at Artemis as if wondering what her head would look like bashed to pieces. Blood trickled from his right eye, where Artemis had shot him. Then he yelled at the trees around him. "Where are you mortal girl? I see Artemis has made you into one of her Hunters for now. Shall I make your temporarily immortal senses one of your last experien- gah!"

Artemis had shot him again. In his left eye this time. Agrius howled as he clawed at the new arrow sprouting from his face. Artemis jumped back as he swung his club at where she was a second before. A bunch of wildflowers impaled on the spikes made the weapon look comical for about a second before it swung in a deadly arc again, nearly missing the goddess once more. I crouched in my hiding place, three arrows on the string of my bow. It pained me to watch my lady Artemis face the monster alone but this was my part in the plan. I had to wait for the perfect shot.

"_ROOOAAARRR!" _said Agrius, spit flying from his muzzle. "Why are you so stubborn, great goddess of the Hunt? Why won't you just _die!_" At the word _die_, he let his club fall yet again and though Artemis was nimble, Agrius was, too. A spike with a wildflower still stuck to it grazed her and the golden blood of the gods flowed from just below her shoulder. She clutched it, breathing heavily. She was tiring. I had to hurry.

"You know full well that the gods cannot die, vile giant," grunted Artemis, ichor seeping out from between her fingers as she sprinted to his backside. "We live for all eternity, or did you forget? That is not surprising, since your brain is so underdeveloped that you practice cannibalism!"

Agrius yelled in aggravation and turned in her direction. He swung the club but Artemis was waiting for it. She jumped out of the way at the last second and the club impaled itself on a redwood tree. I wondered how he could tell where she was when he had such tiny ears and no more eyes. Suddenly, his actions echoed in my head. He had _sniffed_ the air before he recognized my presence. _And _he knew that I was a mortal temporarily turned Hunter. He also knew that Artemis was here and called her _great goddess_. How could he have done that?

Then it hit me-he could literally sniff out the energy radiating off of organic life forms. Sort of like how I could see the gods' auras and stuff. My grip tightened around my bow. So _now_ what?

I remembered the look in Artemis's face when we locked eyes a minute before. _Stay with the plan_.

So I did. I waited, watching Artemis dodge the now weapon-less Agrius's lunges. I could see that her brows were furrowed in concentration as she danced around the giant. But I could see that her breathing was becoming a little laboured despite the Thracian giant's being furious and rapid. It was only a matter of time before he managed to land another hit. And yet he was still moving around too much for me to aim for his chest. I needed another diversion to buy some more time. It was at that moment that I felt something warm and furry rub itself against my arm.

It was a timber wolf. Perfect.

The wolf eyed me with intelligent eyes, waiting for an order. Under usual circumstances, I would've panicked at the sight of a wolf so close to me but now was different. I was a Hunter but also a protector. The wolf was my companion, my partner. I spoke to it.

"Distract the giant," I said. "Lead him to me."

The wolf barked in response and lunged out into the clearing. It bared its canines and growled a deep low growl that would've freaked out anybody. But Agrius only laughed. "A mere doggie?" he taunted. "Is this the best your new Hunter can do for you, great goddess? You were a fool to give her your blessing!" He swiped at the wolf but instead of dodging, the wolf jumped up onto the giant's outstretched arm and ran up its length, all the while digging its claws into the giant's flesh. Agrius bawled in disgust, rage, and pain as the wolf reached his head and made it a point to plant his claws there, too.

The giant made to pull the wolf off of his head but the animal was a lot quicker. It jumped down onto Agrius's back and sank its teeth into fur-matted muscle. Another roar escaped from the giant's snout. He bent his arms back in an attempt to grab the wolf but the effort was in vain and it left his front completely open. Praying my arrows would not go astray, I loosed them.

_Twang!_

At first, Agrius's expression was one of complete and utter shock as he caught sight of the three arrows sprouting from his chest. His next one was of vengeful fury. He reached for Artemis but at the last second, he exploded into a mountain of sand. The wolf landed silently on its paws, bowed to Artemis, then to me, and scampered off into the darkness of the trees beyond.

I stood up and ran to Artemis who was already healing. She let me support her however as we sat down on the two rocks at the centre of the clearing that had surprisingly remained unscathed throughout the encounter. It was only then that I realized something weird as I recalled the whole blur of events.

"You could've done it, my lady," I said to her as I watched the wound begin to seal up. "The beast was within your sights. Why did you not shoot him?"

"The death of the monster was not my destiny," Artemis said. She looked at me and her eyes twinkled. "It was yours."

"You knew Agrius would come?" I asked in shock.

Artemis shook her head. "No," she said. "But Apollo would not have brought you here for nothing. He had already foreseen your fate."

Apollo's words echoed in my mind. _Can't really say. But I thought you'd understand it if I reminded you that I _am_ the god of prophecies, too_. I remembered the way he'd tensed when Artemis had requested an audience with me. "So he knew. _That _was why he looked like he did not want me to go with you! He already predicted what would happen!"

"Not _predicted_," said Artemis. "_Prophesied._ When we were sired, our father gave him the Oracle as a present. But, as wise to the future as he is, even he cannot truly understand what his prophecies mean."

"In other words..."

"He thought you were going to perish fighting the beast," summarized Artemis. "That is why he brought you to Japan, why he tried so hard to make you smile so much. He had already begun watching you months ago. His interest in your story grew more and more until finally, he couldn't help himself and had to meet you in person."

"But I... I'm really not _that_ special, am I?"

"Maybe not to others but to him, for now, you mean the world." Artemis smiled at me but it was a sad smile, like she pitied me. I felt a knot at the pit of my stomach. I meant that much to Apollo. _That much_. I wanted to cry again. Not with sadness. With joy. Artemis watched me carefully and said, "You have chosen your path now, maiden, have you not?"

I nodded. "I have chosen, my lady," I said, putting on a brave smile. "I have chosen to remain mortal." I paused. "But there's one more thing I have to ask."

"And what is that, child?"

"Who exactly _is_ Joanne Wilkins?"

Artemis smiled again. "You already know."

Immediately, my strength left me and I felt drowsy and sore, like I'd run a hundred thousand miles. She held me up now so I wouldn't fall on the ground. My last thought was wondering... wondering what a haiku about all this would look like... And maybe how the god of poetry himself would think about it.

AN: The _organic life forms_ phrase came from Hephaestus...!


	7. Chapter 7: Stuff Has To End Period

Chapter Seven: Stuff Has To End Period

AN: Hello, people of the world. To all those who liked the previous chap and were dying for more (which I highly doubt), I will not apologize. My Internet connection at home was the real perpetrator. So now I'm somewhere else and enjoying this short time of awesomeness. Well, I hope you guys enjoy this final chapter of Percy Jackson's Gods Version One-Point-Apollo!

I woke up a little dazed in my bedroom.

Moonlight filtered through the blinds of my window, informing me of the time of day… night. Whatever. Answering to my first instinct, I tried sitting up and immediately learned how the oldest person on earth probably felt like every morning: every muscle, joint, and bone in my body felt like it was covered in rust (for your information, _that_ doesn't feel so good). Gritting my teeth, I managed to get on my butt without letting out a yelp.

"Gods," I muttered. I felt horrible (if you didn't already get that from the previous statement). Through the pain, my only thought was, _How in Hades did I get so banged up?_ Well, anyone in their right mind would think that, right? … Okay, maybe not the Hades part. So anyway, back to what I was narrating… After about a second of thinking, everything came flying back to me in the form of a flashback at hyper speed.

The sun chariot.

Japan. Azusa. Haikus.

Artemis. The Hunters.

_Agrius_.

I had become a Hunter. I had killed a Thracian giant. A man-eating one at that. A completely big deal. I remembered the strength-the inhuman strength coursing through my veins. I remembered how effortless it had felt releasing three arrows at once. The unbelievable power. I had never felt as alive as I had in those three to four minutes deep in a forest in who-knows-where. And yet... And yet here I was, sore and aching like a hundred and fifty year old lady. I had given up the immortality… But why? Why had I done that?

"Oh! You're back!"

Ah. Right.

Apollo, the highly _self_-praised Olympian god of poetry, music, et cetera, et cetera, stood at the doorway, looking like he'd only just barely escaped a pack of ravenous hellhounds. His blonde hair was dishevelled to a point that gave me the urge to just go right up to him and flatten it. His clothes were no better. They were ragged and full of stains from who-knows-what. But the most shocking detail of all was yet to be revealed: he was barefoot.

_What on earth?_ I thought, swallowing a laugh. Which hurt. "Why," I croaked, "aren't you wearing any shoes?"

He smiled. But it looked forced. "Are… Are you sure you should be talking? I mean, you should hear yourself…"

"Oh, please," I managed to say through my extremely dry throat. "You should… look in the mirror, you know. Besides… isn't that, like, a regular thing for… you…?" I coughed, causing myself agony. I did my best to keep from wincing. Apollo looked bad enough. But of course he could see right through it.

"Lie down," he ordered, eyebrows knitted together. After I reluctantly did so, he conjured up a glass of water for me and a chair for himself. I took the water gratefully but drank slowly because I didn't think my craggy throat could take much more extreme conditions. Once the glass was empty and my esophagus mildly better, Apollo heaved a sigh of relief. I smirked.

"Worried, are we?"

"Oh, you don't know the half of it," he grumbled. I suppressed another laugh. I recognized that tone. My mom had had the same one whenever she was about to enter rant mode. And of course I was right. Apollo wrung his hands. "First I get a hailstorm over New Orleans, then I couldn't go to the Oscars, and then I had to cancel that whole party back there at Universal… Of course there's the whole issue of Agrius…" He stared at me with his blue yet fiery eyes. "I was worried sick, you know."

Yes, I was totally touched. One hundred percent giddy high school girl. Yup, that was me right there in that room. I would've jumped around like a mad person but what with the rusty bones and creaky joints, I couldn't even place my hand on his which now lay on the side of the bed. "I'm sorry," I ended up saying. Yeah, yeah. Totally stereotypical answer, I know, but it was all I could manage to think of.

Apollo studied me for a moment but said nothing for a while. "It's okay," he said. "It's my fault anyway. I saw it coming. I knew it was going to happen. But I still didn't do anything…"

"Well, you aren't supposed to, right?" I blurted out. "I mean, prophecies always come true no matter what, don't they? So you couldn't have done anything! It's couldn't be your fault." I thought that it was a pretty okay thing to say but apparently, it wasn't. Apollo only looked away from me, letting his expression be shrouded by the slight gloom. I bit my lip and said no more, thinking that if I just let my bullet train of a mouth get away with saying anything else, I'd be toast. Literally.

Silence fell. It wasn't an awkward one but it definitely wasn't any better. I passed the horrible time folding and unfolding a crease in my blankets between my fingers. Finally, he spoke up.

"Being the god of prophecies isn't all that it's cracked up to be," Apollo said quietly. "It's fun sometimes, yeah. But that's only when people I don't like get hurt or get turned into donkeys or something… When it came to people I cared about… seeing something that shows them getting hurt for sure… It's… hard. Especially since I can't do anything about anybody's future. I can only see stuff. My Oracle says it. But neither she nor I can truly understand what lies ahead… No one can. We can only presume." He paused. "That's why I took Helios' job. Most people think that it was just because I thought I could do it way better than he could but that's not entirely true." He was looking right at me now. "My sister made you describe the sun, right? Do you remember?"

I thought for a moment then nodded. "Yeah," I said. "Bright. Warm. Sunny."

He nodded once and I kept myself from saying anything unnecessary. This was the very first time he was actually being completely serious with me. The only time he's ever actually shown the side of him that was hundreds of millennia old. "The sun's personality is what got me," he admitted. "Always rising and setting no matter what. Shining brightly so that everybody else can feel like it's okay and everything's going to be just centre of attention, too. So when old man Helios got tired of the whole sun chariot gig, I asked him to hand over the reins to me. I thought maybe if I made it so that everything would be all sunny and bright in my life, seeing horrible fates wouldn't be so bad. I wanted to feel like as long as everything was moving as long as the sun's shining, rising, setting, it'd all be a-okay. Something like a stress reliever really, I'd thought." He shook his head. "I was wrong of course," he said. "And I just made everything much harder for my kids and… and their mothers. And now… And now I got _you_ into all of this. I just _had_ to meet you. It was the-"

"Worst mistake of your life?" I supplied gently. It wasn't sarcastic. It was something I meant. I felt horrible seeing him like this. It was just so hard. I had begun to think that if I convinced him to get over me now, he'd go on being a happy-go-lucky harlequin. But then all of what he'd said would've gone on as well. But then he corrected me. In the weirdest, most unexpected, cheesy way.

"No," he said, smiling. "It was the best decision of my life. You know this already. This is only the third time in my unimaginably long life that I've truly fallen in love. The first woman… well, I was young then. Cursed her and everything when she didn't love me back... I think it was more of a crush, really. And Beatrice… you know what happened. I just… I just feel like it was because of that decision that I caused you to feel all this pain."

At this I laughed even though it was a hollow laugh. "Pain?" I said. "You call _this_ pain? Are you kidding me? I felt a million times worse after I went on that week-long hiking trip with Joanne." Apollo looked at me gratefully and I smiled. It was the least I could do anyway. But I got all serious again. I cleared my throat. _Ow._ "Joanne… She's… She's not a child of Aphrodite is she?"

The sun god hesitated but nodded anyway. "I got an earful from Aphrodite about that," he muttered.

"Joanne Wilkins is your kid, isn't she?" I pressed. "_That_ was how she managed to get us alone and everything. How she seemed weirdly fake when she gushed about you. How she always left every summer for someplace. _And_ how she got you to come back that day…" I smirked at that.

"What? The sun chariot needed pulling, you know…"

The first laughter all night resounded in the room. "So," I said slowly. "How long was I out anyway?"

"Well," said Apollo, gesturing to his trashed clothes, "long enough for me to get like _this_."

"Two weeks?"

"Two _and a half_."

"Ahh…" I stopped. "Is it my confession time now?"

"Well, no."

"And why's that?"

"Because I already know everything about you."

"Huh?"

Apollo looked bewildered. "Arty told you right? That I'd been watching you and stuff?"

Yeah, I remembered. Ugh, it made everything feel so weird. Like everything I _thought_ was filed under TOP SECRET in my brain was actually old news for some Olympian god. So much for _my_ part in the whole heart-wrenching affair. This was probably the moment most women would be all like, _Oh my god, you stalker!_ and slap him in the face. But strangely, it was a little comforting. For me anyway. I guess that came with the package deal: you get him, he gets you... and your darkest secrets. But it was then that I realized something that was kind of obvious. And kind of weird.

"Apollo," I said slowly, "why did I take _two weeks_ to wake up in a horrible state when you're the god of healing?"

He scratched his neck and made an _oh, well, that's a funny story, really..._ face. "We-e-ll..." he said. "The realm of healing I govern is specifically for injuries that weren't self-inflicted."

"Are you implying that I _wanted_ to fall into a two-week coma just to wake up feeling like I'd been internally fried?" Oh, how I do love whoever invented sarcasm.

"Okay, okay!" Apollo said, raising his hands up in defence. "I'll try to put in simpler terms then. Hmm... How do I... If I say this then... Oh, no, not that way..."

"You're muttering."

He looked at me like I'd grown an extra arm. "Well, you know what they say: 'Muttering to oneself is a sign of genius.'"

"... You made that up, didn't you?"

He shrugged. "Spoilsport."

I laughed softly and Apollo smirked in amusement. "Anyway," he said, "it's kind of complicated but I guess you'd understand it if I said that real injuries are the ones that you didn't agree to getting-I'm not done," he added when I opened my mouth to repeat what I had said earlier. "You and Artemis entered into an agreement when she made you temporarily immortal. Technically, you'd accepted the job of a Hunter despite the consequences. Another factor would have to be that mortal bodies can't take that much power even for a few minutes... So since you asked my sister to change you back for... for reasons unknown to even myself"-I rolled my eyes at that-"your body sort of short-circuited. Your bodily functions stopped all at once. In actuality, you were..." He swallowed hard. "...you were as good as dead."

_You were as good as dead_.

I let that sink in for a while. Kept it echoing in my head for as long as possible. If I were to believe what Apollo was saying, then I should be in the Underworld or something by now... So why was I still here? Am I a zombie? Or did my soul somehow possess the body of somebody else? Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up in my head. When I was younger-about nine or ten, I think-I had accidentally cut myself while trying to help my mother with dinner since she was already ill back then. I looked at the back of my left hand and sighed in relief. The faint white line that ran down to my wrist from the knuckle of my index finger was clearly visible despite the insufficient lighting in the room (It was a pretty klutzy move for even a nine/ten year old. I had almost given my mom a heart attack when she saw all the blood on my hands). It was therefore concluded that I was still in my original body. So what exactly was I doing breathing and blinking? I voiced my concern to Apollo.

He looked down at his feet, looking a little ashamed. "I... sort of went all out to save you..."

I didn't want to be touched but he just kept the mushy stuff coming. Must be a poet thing. Anyway, I had felt myself blushing and thanked the gods it was dark enough for him not to see me. I cleared my throat yet again. _OW_. I gotta stop doing that! "So... um... what did you have to do?"

"Well," he said like it was the most difficult thing he ever had to say in his life, "I used up almost all my strength to bring you back from the brink of... of death. Then I almost got blasted to Tartarus by Hades who went on and on about how we gods must respect the laws of death blah, blah, blah. I only got him to shut up by promising that I'd never recite any of my extremely beautiful yet misunderstood poetry in his presence for three whole years. He agreed in a heartbeat."

I raised my eyebrows. The god of the dead letting a dying person live just for three years of silence from the god of poetry? It seemed like a pretty good deal but I knew that Apollo's poems meant a lot to him and stuff. You never know when he just absolutely needs to share his talent to whoever's unlucky to be within a one-mile radius of him at the time. It would be pretty easy for him to forget the whole deal ever happened and just announced a haiku during the annual meeting of the gods thing (Every year on the winter solstice, all the Olympians have this coucil thing to work stuff out so naturally both Apollo and Hades would be there, too. Just something the sun god and I leisurely chatted about whilst we were on our way back home from Japan).

It wasn't that I was concerned about my soul being shoved into the Underworld because a few words had jumped off the guy's tongue. I was more concerned about how one of the most powerful gods would deal with disloyalty to even the most petty agreement. Then again, it seemed a little _too_ petty. My _soul_ or a poem? Come on. He must've bet something else. Something more lasting than a five year silence. It must've been-

"_You pledged your loyalty to the god of the dead, didn't you_?" I said in disbelief and anger. "You promised that if there was ever some war between the gods, you'd back _him_ up. Even if he's the one doing the wrong thing!" I felt so furious, disappointed, guilty, and honoured all at the same time. Mostly guilty. As usual, my nerves got to me and I became rash. "That was stupid, you idiot! You just lost the decision to side with the right cause in a fight! And for me? A mortal? I'm not _that_ important, you know! How could you do that? How could you-!"

"I COULDN'T LOSE YOU!" he yelled so loud at my face that I almost feared everyone in the state would wake up. But I had bigger problems. Apollo looked so hurt and angry that my will faltered. I could only stare at him. "If he had-If I hadn't-I-I-" He looked away from me, biting his lip. I didn't know what to do. He looked so helpless. I wanted to hug him by didn't have the strength to... Or did I? I experimentally lifted my arm. My joints groaned in agony. Bearable agony, I thought through gritted teeth. Before I knew it, I had thrown off the covers, somehow crawled to the side of the bed and wrapped my arms around him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered in his ear. "I'm sorry. It wasn't your fault. I just _had_ to draw attention." I pushed away from him but kept my hands on his shoulders. "Thanks for saving me. I owe you my life. Literally."

He looked to surprised to speak. When he finally did, it came out in a stammer. "Y-You shouldn't... have done that. You need rest and-"

"Rest schmest," I snapped but I smiled. "I got all this way, didn't I? Don't I deserve a reward?"

He may have been a god, but he had absolutely zero knowledge about romance. Always outright and stuff. So naturally, he had no idea what I was talking about. Apollo stared at me blankly. "What, you want gold for crawling five inches?" I sighed.

"You're hopeless," I said exasperatedly. "So I guess I'll give you an idea." And then we were kissing. Just like that. He smelled horrible (like two year old cabbage casserole to be exact) and it seemed like all he'd ingested the past two weeks was Diet Coke. But it was Agrius' fault for being so darn random. I let it slide. All that mattered now was me and him. It was just us the whole entire universe was revolving around in those thirty seconds of pure bliss. And when it was over, I felt energized. Like I could win the Tour de France twice over on foot.

I smiled at him but immediately my vision blurred and I collapsed into his arms, my last reserves of strength completely burned out. He pulled me close to him. So close I should've gagged at the smell of his clothes. Of course I didn't. I'm not _that_ mean. My last memory was hearing him mutter something. Maybe an incantation of some sort. My last thought was a completely new thing for me. It was about endings. Happy ones.

This was definitely one of them.

AN: Sorry for the suckish ending but this is the first time I've EVER finished anything! Thanks for sticking with this for so long and for bearing with the super long wait. Just let me know if you guys want some sort of epilogue. If you don't want one, that's fine, too. Oh, and btw, the full title of this fanfic? It could be "_Percy Jackson's Gods Version One-Point-Apollo_" or you could go with "_Percy Jackson's Gods: Apollo,_ _Olympian God Of The Sun, Of Prophecies, Of Music, Of Poetry, Of Healing, Of Plague, Of Archery, and Of Annoying The Heck Out Of Me_". The latter was the original title but, as you might've guessed, it wouldn't fit. The other one is more catchy so I guess one of these days I'll change it to that... So yeah, and I drew lots yesterday and my next target is Demeter, Olympian goddess of the Harvest! Woohoo! I'll get to it when I have time but, what with my busy sched and my faulty Internet connector, I've hardly got any. But thanks again for putting up with my story till now! See ya next time!


End file.
